Sp Four Square, under jockey Jesus Valenzuela, winning the $25,000 Western States Breeders' Derby Saturday at Sweetwater Downs.

© Gene Wilson & Associates

ROCK SPRINGS, WY—SEPTEMBER 8, 2018 —Sp Four Square notched his second consecutive stakes in with a dominating win in the $25,000 Western States Breeders Derby at Sweetwater. The Favorite Cartel gelding won the $18,000 Wyoming Downs Renegade Sports Derby in his previous start.

It was the second lifetime stakes win for Sp Four Square, but it was the third stakes win of the day for jockey Jesus Valenzuela. With the stakes in, Valenzuela reached the $1 million mark in Quarter Horse earnings and now has $1,001,533 and 238 wins in 1,220 Quarter Horse career starts.

Final time for the 400-yard race was 19.869, and the winning duo earned a 96 speed index.

Sp Four Square ($7.60) was the second choice of the wagering public but looked like an even-money favorite in the impressive victory.

Spence Peterson bred the gelding in Utah, out of Fountain Blue, by Jess Louisiana Blue. Riley Moosman trains for owner Jess Udy. Sp Four Square spent the winter campaigning at Los Alamitos and has finished no worse that third in three starts since returning to Wyoming.

Fantastic Minion and Todd Thomas finished a nose ahead of third-place finisher and post-time favorite Lt Heza Winner.

The Fantastic Corona Jr gelding won the $94,000 Western Breeders Futurity at Sweetwater last fall. Prior to that, he qualified to and finished fifth in the $104,000 Bitterroot Futurity at Sandy Downs. As a 3-year-old, he was third in the Energy Downs Bonus Challenge and fifth in the $65,000 Mile High Derby at Arapahoe.

Fantastic Minion is trained by Jay Pitcher for owners Kirk Woolf and Ralph Hartline; Woolf also bred the 3-year-old gelding in Utah, out of the Dash to Chivato mare Gigarad.

Lt Heza Winner was in search of his fifth consecutive race in which he landed in the exacta but settled for third as the favorite in Saturday’s feature Quarter Horse stakes.

The Utah-bred gelding is by Winners Version, out of the Separatist mare Nuturist. He was bred by Tom Petersen, owned by Aron Saenz, and is trained by Diana Garfias. Jesus Osuna had the call.

Lt Heza Winner finished second in his most recent start to Sp Four Square in the Wyoming Downs Renegade Sports Derby. He also qualified to and ran third in the Utah Bred Futurity at Wyoming Downs last summer and was fifth in the Western States Breeders Futurity last fall in Rock Springs.

Completing the field were Favorite Snowflake, Ud Goldenboy, Champion Winner and Shez Special Legacy. Favorite Fire Boy and Winners Runaway were scratched.